The Darkness of Judgment

Ezekiel 32:1-16

1 And it came to pass in the twelfth year, in the twelfth month, on the first day of the month, that the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2 "Son of man, take up a lamentation for Pharaoh king of Egypt, and say to him:

You are like a young lion among the nations,
And you are like a monster in the seas,
Bursting forth in your rivers,
Troubling the waters with your feet,
And fouling their rivers.

3 'Thus says the Lord GOD:
"I will therefore spread My net over you with a company of many people,
And they will draw you up in My net.
4 Then I will leave you on the land;
I will cast you out on the open fields,
And cause to settle on you all the birds of the heavens.
And with you I will fill the beasts of the whole earth.
5 I will lay your flesh on the mountains,
And fill the valleys with your carcass.

6 "I will also water the land with the flow of your blood,
Even to the mountains;
And the riverbeds will be full of you.

7 When I put out your light,
I will cover the heavens, and make its stars dark;
I will cover the sun with a cloud,
And the moon shall not give her light.
8 All the bright lights of the heavens I will make dark over you,
And bring darkness upon your land,"
Says the Lord GOD.

9 'I will also trouble the hearts of many peoples, when I bring your destruction among the nations, into the countries which you have not known. 10 Yes, I will make many peoples astonished at you, and their kings shall be horribly afraid of you when I brandish My sword before them; and they shall tremble every moment, every man for his own life, in the day of your fall.

11 For thus says the Lord GOD: "The sword of the king of Babylon shall come upon you. 12 By the swords of the mighty warriors, all of them the most terrible of the nations, I will cause your multitude to fall.

"They shall plunder the pomp of Egypt,
And all its multitude shall be destroyed.

13 Also I will destroy all its animals
From beside its great waters;
The foot of man shall muddy them no more,
Nor shall the hooves of animals muddy them.
14 Then I will make their waters clear,
And make their rivers run like oil,"
Says the Lord GOD.

15 "When I make the land of Egypt desolate,
And the country is destitute of all that once filled it,
When I strike all who dwell in it,
Then they shall know that I am the LORD.

16 "This is the lamentation
With which they shall lament her;
The daughters of the nations shall lament her;
They shall lament for her, for Egypt,
And for all her multitude,"
Says the Lord GOD.'"

This lamentation for Pharaoh and Egypt was illuminating in bringing darkness of judgment from above to the land of idolatry and immortality which had helped God’s people to seek strength and protection apart from the LORD.  The imagery God used here brings to mind the final judgment on all the earth as if Egypt was a type describing the greater end of lord who gather against God and His chosen ones.  The casting of their defeated bodies on the field which the birds and animals devoured smells of the battle in Armageddon (Isaiah 34:3-4, Revelation 16:16, 19:15, 21) and the making of the stars dark with sun and moon ceasing their light is as illuminating as the judgment in Matthew 24:29 and Revelation 6:12-13.  Here it was Egypt being judged and overwhelmingly defeated by the hand of God in Nebuchadnezzar’s army, but in the final battle of judgment against all who offend God it will be the Word of God using the sword of His mouth as the weapon (which is God’s word itself) to defeat those opposing Him and His people.  Egypt was as a powerful lion or sea monster causing disruption and disaster among the nations; the adversary also causes death and destruction (John 10:10) and will similarly be vanquished.  The nations were astonished at the fall of great Egypt and her Pharaoh just as all will do even more at the fall of Babylon to come (Isaiah 21:9, Revelation 14:8) where His enemies will find their justice in God’s judgment.  The sword of ancient Babylon was used to defeat the enemy Egypt and the sword of God’s own mouth will defeat the fallen world set against Him and His Christ (John 1:1, 14) in the end as this picture is painted for us.  All arrogant pomp and circumstance of man will be humbled to bow before the Lord of all as Egypt was humbled in defeat.  God’s judgment will make all looking on see and know He is the Lord by acknowledging His sovereignty and sovereign right to judge all evil which is disobedience to Him according to His word.  The lament for Egypt was great in the world then; how much more sorrow will they be for all judged eternally!  The darkness of judgment will come as a thief in the night and many will mourn who were not prepared.  May all who read and hear these things and take the gospel of deliverance from such judgment to heart and turn from their sin to Him.